Sand tyre psi advice

subusurfer · Post by **subusurfer** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:38 pm

gday guys im looking at doing some beach driving at Robe in a few weeks I have just stock Kuhmo road tyres, i was going to get some Nankang 27's but i can justify the money. what would be an appropriate PSI level for beach driving, could someone point me in the right direction in terms of the lowest psi level i could use with stock tyres i would think maybe 15 psi for sand driving.

Ben · Post by **Ben** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:51 pm

Run the highest psi you can get away with. I know that sounds weird, but why run 15 if 20 does the job. I had BFG AT's on a car that required about 9psi to become effective, but at that pressure you run the risk of unseating the bead. My outback I run 32psi on the beach, and yes get right into the sand at the top of the beach without a worry.

Andrew · Post by **Andrew** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:00 pm

stock tyres? your bogged already at robe in summer. anything less than 15 and your running the risk of rolling the tyres off

ive been through with 195/65 14" road tyres and got pulled out a few times..

it gets really really soft when its been dry for a while. expect big trenches too thanks to lots of traffic @ easter. my lifted sube with 27" and WRX rad had a melt down not far from there in the real soft stuff. it didnt go particularly well in the soft sand, just couldnt keep it cool

Sold that and brought a 4.5L Gu patrol with 33". that does it effortlessly.

if your with a group you will be fine. make sure you take.
shovel, some bits of wood or mats to stick under the wheels & a freind with a serious 4x4 to rescue you.

Im not trying to beat up the subys (ive had plenty) but they just dont cope well with big wheel ruts and when suspension travel is needed.

Outback bloke · Post by **Outback bloke** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:17 pm

I always believe that 16 psi is a good starting point. (in fact my stauns are set to 16 and that is all I ever use) If you go in with your tyres too hard then it is too late when you are stuck to let them down more. Go in too soft and you will roll the tyres, especially if you don't have much beach experience.

i was going to get some Nankang 27's but i can justify the money

The Nankangs would have to be the best mod you can do cheaply to your Subaru.

They are a good size tyre. They aren't overly large yet still have a good size wall that allows the larger footprint you are trying to gain by letting your tyres down. The larger size compared to road tyres also fills the holes that you will drive in better which means it is easier on your suspension and you don't have to drive as hard to get through soft bits.

The power they drain is more than made up for in flotation and traction.

When you let down your tyres you also lose height. Height is a major factor in when you are stuck enough that you can't drive out. Height also stops the ruts you drive in hitting under your car and bogging you down power wise.

Outback bloke · Post by **Outback bloke** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:19 pm

if your with a group you will be fine. make sure you take.
shovel, some bits of wood or mats to stick under the wheels & a freind with a serious 4x4 to rescue you.

Once you know your set up and how to drive you can then go and recover the "serious" 4wds.

Andrew · Post by **Andrew** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:41 pm

been there done that (at robe) L series will not be pulling out a bogged 80 or troll.

however as brett said "float" is the key

stay off the beaches. lots of cars have been lost to the sea here due to getting stuck. theres quite often deep seaweed covered in sand on the beaches and you will just sink to your sills.

Subafury · Post by **Subafury** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 9:07 pm

i reckon let them down to about 22psi then if you get stuck- or its getting really boggy let them down further to say 17psi. but yes be careful of sharp corners breaking the bead

D3V1L · Post by **D3V1L** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 9:14 pm

i got stuck the other day in ultra fine silica sand in a sand mine in the outback....like...stuff u sink in when u walk

started on 20psi...no good..15 no good....had to go down to 10 and still required a good tug to get me out...but once out it was great:P just no shafp corners

start around 15 and if too hard then stop ahead of boggier stuff and reduce by 5 to 10 lbs.....i have found the best pressure to run 27"tyres on to be around 18psi...not too easy to debead but low eonugh to give quite good flotation

dave

Outback bloke · Post by **Outback bloke** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 5:55 am

i reckon let them down to about 22psi then if you get stuck- or its getting really boggy let them down further to say 17psi.

This is exactly what I say not to do. Any Subaru you see bogged on the beach has one of two problems. One, the driver has no idea what they are doing or two, they have not let their tyres down enough. 22psi is not enough. At this stage of human existence air is free. It does not cost you by the psi to fill them up again.

I have driven thousands of k's on the beach in Subarus. I used to get bogged when I was younger and less experienced. It is not the right attitude to think about what you do once you get bogged. Go there preparing to not get bogged and drive accordingly.

Let your tyres down. The more you let them down the less you turn sharply. Think about where you are going to drive and at what speed. Keep your momentum up with out driving to fast.

Learn to drive with out getting stuck rather than learning how to recover your car once you are.

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 12:51 pm

Yes prevention definitely better than cure.
of course if you DO get bogged you may need to let your tyres down further. and if you DO get bogged it's great to know how to recover yourself.
Be Prepared - just like a cub scout

stinky · Post by **stinky** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 3:59 pm

BYB-01 wrote:I always believe that 16 psi is a good starting point. (in fact my stauns are set to 16 and that is all I ever use) If you go in with your tyres too hard then it is too late when you are stuck to let them down more. Go in too soft and you will roll the tyres, especially if you don't have much beach experience.

Agreed, my stauns are also set to 16! 20 is okay in most situations, but once you're bogged down in soft sand it can be very hard to get back out without help.

I dropped down to 12psi in the leone trying to tow the camper trailer across indian head, but even then I couldn't manage it. That's the only time I've been properly bogged on the sand. Except for when some clown dug the sand out from under my tyres and I decided it would be fun to try and get out in 2wd